Beehive



Dec. 4, 1923. 1,476,453

H. MCKAY BEEHIVE I Filed June 26, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JO 3m a fl 13 u2 f/ ykr/- l2 1 i? l FIM al j l "H ezmwfay 1,476,453 H. McKAY BusarvFind June ze. 1922 s sheets-sheenl s Patented Dec.A 4, 19273..

UNITED stares 1 Y '1,476,455 PATENT oeEFicE.

'HERBERT MCKAY, or Monson, Wasnriveron.

BEEHIVE.

vAppuawion'fixed June 2s, 1922. semi No. 520,929.

To all ywhom t may concern.' Y

Be it known that I', 'HERBERT MoKAY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica', and

resident of the cit-y ot Monroe, in Snoho-V mish County, State otlashington, have invented certain 'newand useful improvements inBeehives, of which the following is a specification.

M y invention comprises an kimprovement in bee hives yand particularlyrelates to the brood 'chambers and tothe means "for withdrawing thebrood trames for inspection.

It is an object ot' my invention to provide means in connection with thehive wherebyy the individual brood frames may `be easily withdrawn fromthe brood chamber without disturbing the remaining ltrames and withoutAdisturbing the cells which are contained in the frame withdrawn.

f A further object is to provide means which willv permit endwisewithdrawal lof a :frame from the brood chamber Without injuring beeswhich fmay be beneathv or in the path-'of the frame as it is withdrawn.

A further object is to provide :trame supporting Ameans `within lthebrood chamberv which are simple 'and convenienttor? engagement of'ordisengagement from the frames. My invention comprises-those novell.parts and combinationsfthereot which are shown in fthe vaccompanyingdrawings, described in the-specification7 and particularly definedFigure fisa detail perspective tot a Y slightly lmoditied portion z otthe trame? supporting means.`

IFigure 6 is `avvertical sectionthrough the rear hive wall, showingtramesupporting means -otra modified construction.

:It isi my. intention to. employ :parts .which f will ieo'torm to thestandard dimensions employ, tar asi possible,l `fstfandard :equipl vandproportion ".othives now 'in use. and to ment in my hive. Ihaveshown', therefore, a standard hive comprising abrood chamber 9 havingatront wall y99, a'bottom 91 and side walls 92. Above this brood cham-vber f9 and suitablyv secured thereon is a vsuper-box which :forms thesurplus honey storage chamber. This is designate-d in general bythenumeral 93 and iiorms no .part ot the present invention. A top `94covers'rthe honey chamberl93, or is seated directlyupon the broodchamber 9 when the super-.130x923 is removed.

vWithin the brood chamber '.9 .are a plurality o-standardbrood trames 8.`These may be supported in anysuitable manner at f one end,preferablyfthe frontend. I :have

shown a metallic track 95 secured .upon a ledge 96 rabbeted from.theupper Aportion ofthe front Vwall 90'. Uponpthis'traclr95 rest thefforwardly .projecting ends -81 '.of'the frames 8. Suitable spacersSQinay-begprovided to. space thel st'ramev from the inside of. the-tront' wall 90,.this being shownas ka staple driven. into the frame 8.The'frames themselves are alsok spaced .from each other byspacers 83.'.-Asisuchdetailsftormno part of the. present invention'they. are `:not 1described .in `more detail, and any 'suitable or standard device mayV bei employed.

Itis my desire .to avoid the necessity -ot lifting out ythe/broodtramesk 8 -froifn :abovetrom "time totime. The .trames .must.beinspected at. regular` intervals, :and lwith l most hives nowinl useit is `necessary to lift' v ottn the superfbox 93 and `tovflit't theiframes 8 directly-out ot the lbrood chamberf9. This results inconsiderable disturbance yto the rey mainder l'of the brood trames and:disturbs the bees. It fis-also '.ditticult to Areplacethetrames'properly. I propose .to provide removable rearwall 97 for thebrood. chamber and'to. provide means whereby the rear end ot. the tramesl8 may lbe supported ireleasably to permit endwise withdrawalofthe-.frames through the openingV left by removing the' rearHwall'197.-l l v n.1 have shownfthe'irear `wall 'i 97 as'havinga ledge 98 atf'i'tsupper. fportion, @thisleavingl a recess "through which "passes fa shaftl transversely ofthe hive. .Theshaft Y l passesthrough fthesideKV walls92 and is provided therein with meansto Aprevent; Vits rotation. 'I lhave i shown jthef shaft asprovided withv squaredy ends `l0 which passthrough similarly squared fhole's Vin'vstraps 9.9 secured infth'e sidewalls/92; f .At lonefend n vided therefor in the rear wall 97. The

shaft 2 is suitably held in place and prevents withdrawal of the wall 97until it has first been withdrawn.A` It is Jclear that any suitablemeans for securing the wall 97 in place maybe employed.

Upon the shaftV 1 at intervals I secure a .plurality of nbrackets 3,each comprising a collar and a forwardly-projecting trough 32,preferably integral. These brackets correspond in number to the maximumnumber of frames 8 which it would be desired to support in the chamber9. The brackets 3 are rotatable upon the shaft 1 and are spaced thereonby the amount it is desired to space the centers of the frames 8. Means.are provided for securing the brackets against rotation relative to theshaft, these being shown as the set screws 31. The frames 8 are providedat their rear ends with extensions 84 similar to t-he forward extensions81 and the troughs 32 are madeof a size to receive these ends 84.

Assuming that frames are to be placed within the brood chamber `9without disturbing the super-boxes 93, the rear wall 97 is first removedby removing the shaft or bolt 2 and by releasing the compression causedby threading Aup theY wing nut 13 on the shaft 1. The frames 8 are thenpushed endwise one at a time into the Vchamber 9 and their forwardextensions 81 arel lifted upon the track 95. A small skid 85 may beprovided projecting downwardly from the ,forward bottom corner of theframes 8. These are shown as staples lying in the plane of movement ofthe frames, and are intended to ride along the bottom 91. to support theframe above the bottom and to prevent Vitsv crushing bees which may bein its path as it moves in or out of the chamber 9.V

Having v:supported the forward extension 81. ofthe frame upon the track95 the rearward *extension 82 of the frame is engaged in a trough .32 ofone ofl the brackets 3. The bracket is rotated upon the shaft 1 untilits trough 32 is approximately horizontal, audit' is then set in thisposition bymeans oftheiset screw 31. The: frame 8 is then supported fbymeans ofrits extensions 81 Yandl 84fupon the track 95 and the bracket frespectively.- In this VVmannerit is `spaced properly froml the Ifrontand'rear walls and from the bottom of thevbroo/d chamber.

- The rearwall9?y is replaced when all f of the brood frames have vbeeninserted in this accomplished by a reversal of this method of operation,releasing the individual brackets 3 as its frame is to be withdrawn.

llVithdrawal of the brood frames endwise permits the operatorto'concentrate on the handling of the frame rather than upon Vitssupport, for it is supported upon the skid 85, andk he is thus enabledto withdraw it for inspection without disturbing the remainder of theframes. Itwill benoticed that at all points where there is contactbetween the frames and the hive, metal touches wood. This preventssealing ofthe frames in place, as the bees will not attempt to seal ajoint which contains metal.

In Figure 5 I have showna washer 99 which may be substituted for thestraps 99 and which is provided with points y90 to enable it to bedriven into the wood of the side walls 92. The squared portion 10 of theshaft 1 is received in the squared opening of the washer 99 to preventrotation of the shaft. This permits my supporting means to be installedin oldhives with very little work or change in the hives.

In Figure 6 I have shown a modified supporting means for the rear endsVof. the frames 8, which is readily and cheaply adaptable to hives nowinuse. Their rearward extensions 84 are received in clips 4 havingformed thereon Ya `forwardly projecting hook 41. A bar 5 extendsbetween` the side walls 92 of the hive and is provided with a pluralityof depending eyes 51 secured therein. These eyes 51fare spaced, as arethe brackets 3, by an amount equal to the spacing between the centers ofthe frames 8. The frames 8, ,after their forward extensions 81 aresupportedupon the track 95, are moved forward-until the hooks' 41 areengaged in the eyes 51. vIn this man ner the forward end of the frame issup-V ported removably by the eyes 51 andthe bar 5. To maintaintheframes in place, and` to prevent accidental disengagement of the`hooks 41 from eyes 51, particularly when the hive is moved about, Isecure a flanged bar upon the rear wall 97,'the flange 55 of whichprojects forwardly to engage thek rear ends vof 'extensions 84 ofv thekframes. As the frames can only be Vwithdrawn by' movement in thisdirection, the flange 55 effectively prevents disengagement of the frameand itssupporting'means. i

What I claim as my invention is:

. 1. In a beehive, in combination, a removable back walli,- a pluralityof frames, a support for the front ends thereof, al second supportextending transversely across the rear opening ,and elevated above thefloor sufficiently to permit frames topass therebeneath, and individualframe supports for supporting each frame from said lsecond support topermit its endwise withdrawal j therefrom and the rstsupport inde:

pendently'of the other frames when said back wall is removed.

2. In a bee-hive, in combination with a plurality of frames, means forsupporting an end of said frames including a transversely extending bar,a plurality of individual supports spaced along said bar, said frameseach having means at one end removably engageable with its respectivesupport to suspend the frame therefrom at this end, and to permit itsremoval independently of the other frames and their supports.

3. In a beehive, in combination, a removable back wall, a plurality offrames, a

' transversely extending hanger support, in-

dividual frame supports carried by the rear end only of each frame andengageable by endwise movement thereof into the hive with saidtransverse support, said back wall being operable upon its replacementto prevent disengagement of theV individual supports from the transversesupports.

4. In a beehive, in combination with a plurality of frames, atransversely extending bar, a plurality of eyes spaced therealong, and aforwardly faoing frame-supporting hook carried by the rear end of eachof said frames and engageable each with its respective eye as saidframes are individually slid forward.

5. In a bee-hive, in combination with a plurality of frames slidablethereinto from the rear and a removable 'rear wall, a transverselyextending bar, a plurality of eyes secur-ed'therein, forwardly-facinghooks carried by the rear ends of said frames and engageable in saideyes to support this end of the frame, and means operable to lock saidhooks and eyes against disengagement while said rear wall is in positionin the hive.

6. In a bee-hive a brood chamber having a frame support extending alongits front side, a removable rear wall, a bar extending across the rearside of the chamber at an elevation permitting passage of the broodframes from the rear beneath them, and brood frames and means for en.-gaging the rear ends of the Vbrood frames with said bar to supportthem'in such manner as to permit individual release therefrom.

y 7. In a beehive having an integral front wall and a removable rearwall, in combination, a plurality-of frames slidable thereinto from therear to contact with the fro-nt wall, a transversely extending b'ar, aforwardly facing hook carried by tIie-rear end-of `each frame andengag-eable with said bar to support this end o-f the frame, and aspacer rib upon the inside of said rear wall engageable with the rearends of all of said frames to prevent rearward movement thereof.

Signed at Monroe, Snohomish County, VVashingto-n, this 17 th day ofJune, 1922.

HERBERT MCKY.

